Lockdown weary Britons are demanding to be let back into pubs after the bank holiday washout, as hundreds of pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants shut early on Monday’s May Day Bank Holiday as wet and windy weather put a dampener on the three day weekend.
And forecasters predicted that more bad weather could be on the way, with experts predicting a week-long cold snap, which could see temperatures plummet to -2C.
Pub goers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all been given the green light to return to watering holes after lockdown, but only in outside spaces, and now, alfresco drinkers and pub landlords are calling on Boris Johnson to get indoor areas of cafes, restaurants and bars open ahead of May 17, when the Government expects to allow indoor areas to reopen.
Many took to Twitter to out their disappointment, with one saying that the bank holiday weekend was a total flop, and that Saturday’s meal out and drinks were cancelled, and that they should be allowed inside pubs.
Others supported the appeals, saying that being kept out of pubs despite Britain’s falling COVID infection rates was madness.
And one Twitter user, who spoke before the bank holiday washout said that the weather forecast for the bank holiday Monday where they lived was terrible.
Another, from Northern Ireland, said that they should just open pubs inside because enough was enough, and it wasn’t enjoyable dining and drinking in the wind and rain, and that hopefully, the executives would bring the dates forward.
One pub proprietor shared pictures of his wet and empty beer garden, saying that if they were following dates, not data, then let people inside pubs.
Another pub-goer wrote that it was just far too cold to eat and drink outside.
Others quipped that the weather would pick up again as soon as indoor constraints were lifted, with one saying that as soon as the pubs reopen there will be a heatwave and no one will want to sit inside.
It comes as revellers were forced to brave downpours across the bank holiday weekend, as they streamed back to pub beer gardens to make the most of the easing of COVID restrictions, but you’ve got to admit, you’d need a sense of humour, sitting under cold, drafty marquee’s waiting an hour for your food, and then when it appears it’s cold before you even finish it because you were eating it outside – not much pleasure.
The pub and restaurant trade employs millions of people in all sectors of catering and supply, and so much of it they will never be able to recover, and this isn’t just about being able to have a drink.
And I’m at a loss to understand how people are so desperate for a drink or a meal, and who are being indoctrinated into believing they’re getting back to normal because this is the new normal.
There is the alternative, of course, just don’t go to the pub. Nobody is forcing anyone to sit outside in the cold and rain, and the Government are laughing at you. Does anyone remember the Cadbury’s smash advert with all the aliens sitting around a table laughing at us earthlings eating mash, well that’s precisely what the Government are doing at the moment?
There’s something wrong with this situation, and it’s all about money and getting the economy back on track, and government ministers and Boris Johnson laughing at everyone, but then I guess that’s the spirit that built an Empire, and our forefathers were accustomed to draughty houses, cold water, and permanently damp clothes, and they would have shrugged off these trivial hardships, so buck up buttercup.
